{"id":851,"date":"2026-09-01T13:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T04:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/x634.net\/?p=851"},"modified":"2026-09-01T13:59:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T04:59:07","slug":"thailand-phuket-vegetarian-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/x634.net\/en\/thailand-phuket-vegetarian-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Gods Descend, Blades Pierce Cheeks: Phuket Vegetarian Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u203bThis article contains photos of a festival in which people pierce their bodies with knives and other objects. If you are sensitive to this kind of imagery, please proceed with caution.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a festival where people walk around with knives pierced straight through their cheeks. It takes place in Phuket, Thailand, a place better known as a tropical resort destination. It is called the \u201cVegetarian Festival.\u201d Search for it online, and you will find photos of people walking through the streets with swords and metal rods sticking through their cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly is vegetarian about this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival takes place every year around mid-October, during the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Phuket is about a 90-minute flight from Bangkok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phuket is usually associated with beaches and resorts, but it also has an old district known as Phuket Old Town. Shops and caf\u00e9s occupy old buildings, and although this is also very much a tourist area, it feels quite different from the beaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Vegetarian Festival is held at Chinese shrines across Phuket, and the area around Old Town is one of its main centers. The festival lasts nine days, with various rituals taking place mainly at these shrines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most noticeable events is the procession of people known as \u201cMa Song,\u201d spirit mediums believed to temporarily host deities in their bodies. The name \u201cMa Song\u201d literally means \u201chorse of the gods.\u201d The idea is that the human body becomes a vessel for a deity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The procession starts early, at around 7 a.m., and people are already gathering along the streets. White clothing is considered the proper attire, symbolizing the purification of both body and mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then people start coming down the street with blades piercing their cheeks. Their bodies tremble slightly, and their eyes seem unfocused, fixed somewhere far away. One look is enough to tell that something unusual is going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For some reason, hardly any of them were bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There were far more Ma Song than I had expected, one after another passing by. Some were women, and some were children. Some had needles through their cheeks, while others had swords, umbrellas, and even, for some reason, a gas pump nozzle. There was quite a range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firecrackers were going off almost constantly throughout the procession. The explosions echoed from close range, leaving smoke and the smell of gunpowder hanging in the air. The loud noise is said to drive away evil and help welcome the gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the Ma Song approached, people along the roadside stepped aside and put their hands together in prayer. The Ma Song carried flags and brushed them gently over people\u2019s heads as they passed. Here, they were treated as special figures. They were not simply people to watch. People were praying to them as they passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What kind of religion is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thailand is a Buddhist country, but this festival feels quite different from ordinary Thai Buddhism. From what I found, its roots lie in the beliefs of Chinese communities who migrated from China to Southeast Asia, combining elements of Taoism and Chinese folk religion into their own local form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the center of the festival are the Nine Emperor Gods, a group of nine deities. The Ma Song serve as human vessels for the gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But even if a god has entered someone\u2019s body, why pierce the cheeks with blades? One belief is that by injuring their own bodies, the Ma Song take on the misfortune and bad luck that might otherwise fall on other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, with some help from local people, I was able to take part in the procession myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 6 a.m., I went to the place I had been told to meet. It was a kind of community hall that also seemed to be used for storing festival equipment, with an altar in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After the prayers and greetings were finished, we waited. Then suddenly, loud bells and drums filled the room: boom, clang, boom, clang. A Ma Song was sitting in a chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The noise was so loud that I was startled. As I stood there wondering what was happening, the booming and clanging grew even louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I had no idea what was happening.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ma Song held his head as if pressure were building somewhere inside him, stamping his feet harder and harder. Then, with the kind of momentum that made it seem as if he could no longer stop himself, he moved toward the altar as though he were about to crash into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a brief silence, he turned to face our side of the room. His body and neck were trembling slightly. Then he waved a flag and shouted, \u201cWAA-HA-HA!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular Ma Song wasn\u2019t one of those who pierced his cheeks with blades. Even so, a person who had been sitting normally just moments earlier was clearly changing into a completely different state right in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I still had no idea what had just happened.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then we went straight out to join the procession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Later, I spoke with a Ma Song who had experienced having blades inserted through his cheeks. He told me that while in a trance, he feels no pain and has no memory of what happens during that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I also saw another Ma Song come out of the trance state. He moved toward the altar shouting loudly, then suddenly relaxed and let his body fall into the arms of someone standing beside him. Another person tapped three points on his body: tap, tap, tap. And just like that, he was himself again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Coming out of the trance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, what exactly is vegetarian about the Vegetarian Festival?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this time of year, many people in Thailand observe a nine-day vegetarian practice known as \u201cKin Jae.\u201d In Bangkok, it is especially visible around Chinatown. People avoid meat and alcohol as a way of purifying the body and mind. In Phuket, vegetarian food appears all over the city, and people dress in white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to what I was told locally, avoiding animal products helps the Ma Song keep the body pure and free of other souls, making it easier for a deity to enter. One Ma Song I spoke with told me that he remains vegetarian not only during the festival, but all year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot about the festival was strange, but the name \u201cVegetarian Festival\u201d turned out to be surprisingly literal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this time of year, even Uniqlo stores in Thailand switch their displays to white clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Phuket Vegetarian Festival \u2014 Basic Information<\/span><\/div>
\n

\u25a0Location:
Phuket, Thailand. The festival takes place at Chinese shrines across the island, particularly around Phuket Old Town, including Jui Tui Shrine and Kathu Shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0When:
Nine days during the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, this usually falls in September or October, with the exact dates changing each year. In 2026, the festival runs from October 10 to 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Main area:
Around Phuket Old Town. Jui Tui Shrine is one of the main festival shrines and is about a 10\u201315 minute walk from the center of Old Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Access:
Phuket Old Town is about 35 minutes by car from Phuket International Airport, or around one hour by airport bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Watching the processions:
Many processions take place early in the morning. Dates and starting times vary depending on the shrine, so it is best to check the schedule for that year before going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Clothing:
Festival participants wear white. Along with vegetarianism and avoiding alcohol, this is part of the practice of purifying the body and mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25a0Things to know:
\u30fbFirecrackers can explode very close by. Your clothes may get dirty, and the smell of gunpowder can linger on them.
\u30fbSome scenes may be graphic or disturbing for some people.
\u30fbIf you want to see the early-morning processions, staying around Phuket Old Town makes things much easier.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u203bThis article contains photos of a festival in which people pierce their bodies with knives and other objects. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/x634.net\/?p=762","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-16","tag-22","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":856,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851\/revisions\/856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/x634.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}